


Vagabond

by gillywulf



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/F, First Kiss, First Meetings, Runaway
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-20
Updated: 2014-10-20
Packaged: 2018-02-21 21:12:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,390
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2482619
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gillywulf/pseuds/gillywulf
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Asami finds a runaway and "adopts" her.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Vagabond

**Author's Note:**

> These damn tumblr prompts. I love them.

Asami stared out a window to her backyard. She had been for at least a half hour. Of course, it was only because there was something _so interesting_ to look at.

Huddled under a bush was a person. Asami couldn't see any details, but they were very obviously cold. Snow had cascaded down in blizzard-like conditions for the past week and the huddled person was wearing a sleeveless shirt. Being anything but cold was an impossibility at that point.

Determined to be a help, she abandoned her post at the window and raced to the basement where they kept all the clothes they were waiting to donate. She quickly found a thick platypus-bear skin coat that her father used to wear when he was younger that would probably fit the person hiding in her bushes. She tugged on her own coat and pushed open the door to the outside.

She was sure her father would disapprove of this whole adventure, but if she wanted to help people, she had to start small. Also, he was away for the week and what he didn't know wouldn't hurt him. As she got closer, Asami was able to make out more details.

The person was indeed a girl close to her own age of fifteen and she had long brown hair that was pulled up into a ponytail. She had dark skin that was peppered with goosebumps and her eyes warily watched Asami come closer. She stopped a few feet away and held out the coat.

"Hi, do you want a jacket?" she asked hopefully. Asami had met all different types of famous people, world leaders, CEOs, and pro benders (her father hadn't liked them) but none of them were as interesting in that moment as the girl in front of her. She just _had_ to know more.

"What's the catch?" she girl inquired, her eyes thinning to suspicious slits. Asami frowned.

"Why would there be a catch? It's freezing out and you look cold"

"There's always a catch" she growled, staying put.

"Well there's no catch, unless of course you'd like to catch a cold and die. But I guess that's up to you" Asami grumbled. Slowly, like an animal waiting to be attacked, the girl unfurled from her crouch and took the offered garment. She slid it on and wrapped it tightly around her body.

"Thank you" she mumbled. Asami noticed the girl's bright blue eyes and stared. The girl was very attractive. Best keep that to herself, though.

"Would you like some soup?" She gestured back to the house, "I can make some for you" The shivering girl looked conflicted. Clearly she wanted the warmth and sustenance that the food would provide, but trusting Asami could be trouble. Hunger and cold won out and she gave a jerky nod and followed her savior inside. She sighed as the door clicked shut behind her, reveling in the heat of the mansion.

"The kitchen's this way" The two shuffled into the massive kitchen and Asami went right to work at making soup. The girl hopped up onto a marble counter top and watched her work.

"I'm Asami. What's your name?" she asked, glancing at the girl out of the corner of her eye.

"Korra" was the soft reply. The heiress nodded and set the water to boil.

"So what are you doing wandering around Republic City in the dead of winter?" She began chopping vegetables.

"I was being cooped up in the compound, so I ran away" Korra responded, pulling the coat even closer to her body. Asami frowned but continued chopping the tiny greens.

"Why were you being kept in a compound?"

"Because I'm the Avatar" Asami paused. Of all the things to find frozen in your back garden, the Avatar usually wasn't one of them. Dazed, she resumed her chopping.

"That's really cool. I'm not a bender, but I do deal with a lot of metal. I'm training to be an engineer..." She rambled on for the entire duration of the soup's preparation. As she spoke, she occasionally tossed glances Korra's way, checking on her.

Incrementally, the Avatar warmed up and became more trusting, periodically interjecting. Eventually, it stopped being a monologue and became a conversation. Pretty quickly the runaway was laughing and joking with her.

"Do you want to stay here this week? My dad's out of town and no one will tell him you were here if I ask them not to" Asami suggested as Korra carefully sipped her soup. Her head jerked up and she beamed.

"What, really? That would be amazing!" Asami felt her face warm. It was just her luck that the person she saved would be so energetic and cute when thawed out. She sent the Avatar to bed as soon as the soup was gone. Korra tried to protest, but Asami was adamant. She argued that Korra likely hadn't had anything decent to eat or anywhere to sleep that wasn't frozen in weeks and she would need the recuperation.

The next morning, Korra thundered down the stairs, feeling eager and refreshed. Asami was so startled by the sound, she nearly dropped the egg she was about to crack.

"Morning! Oh, you were so right about going to sleep so early. I feel great!" she grinned, leaning against the counter. The heiress smiled back.

"Good. I think we're going to take it pretty easy today too. I want to give you the grand tour and then you can decide what we do today"

"After breakfast though, right?"

"Definitely after breakfast" After eating, Asami showed her all of the parts of her home. She showed her the library, her father's workshop, their gym, and her bedroom. When she opened the door to the swimming pool, Korra nearly dove right in. She was only stopped when the other girl insisted she wear a borrowed bathing suit. Even with the hold up, it wasn't long until they were both splashing around in the water.

"Okay, but look at this" Korra brought tendrils of water up to surround her that made her look like an octopus. She screwed up her face for effect. The heiress laughed, doubling over in the shallow end. Korra dropped the water and grinned. She really liked Asami's laugh.

They spent the rest of the day tinkering in Asami's private workshop. She showed the Avatar the two Satomobiles, scooter, and a tiny remote control biplane that she working on. Korra had never really seen any of it up close - there weren't many good roads in the South Pole for Satomobiles - and the other girl loved explaining it. Korra could see it was her passion and it looked fantastic on her.

At night, Asami made hot cocoa and they sat face-to-face on the sofa, talking into the early hours. It wasn't until nearly two that the heiress even looked towards the clock. Her heart sank when she saw the time.

"We should probably go to sleep" she pointed out. Korra pouted, but agreed.

"Yeah, anyway, we've got tomorrow too" she reminded with an infectious grin. Their eyes connected and they lingered there for another minute longer than they meant to.

The rest of the week passed in a whirlwind. One day, Korra convinced Asami to ride a bicycle through her hallways, and on another, Asami teased Korra into not talking for a whole afternoon. The latter was rather short lived. As the time progressed, their feelings for each other grew. Half the time, it was all they could do to stop thinking about kissing one another. 

On the last day, they laid side by side on the floor, looking over some blueprints belonging to Asami's father. She trailed a finger over each component and explained why it was innovative. Unbeknownst to her, Korra hadn't been paying the least bit of attention. Her eyes were focused on Asami's face, watching her expressions shift and letting her voice wash over her.

"...and since this bolt connects these two pieces, it's three times as efficient as the current leading-"

"I'm going to kiss you, now" Korra announced. The heiress's face whipped around in shock.

"Oh- ah, sure, that's...okay" she trailed off, unsure of what to say. The Avatar nodded and leaned in. It was a gentle pressure that warmed Asami's whole body. She'd kissed people before, some of them benders, but none of them were Korra. The kiss only lasted a few seconds but it was enough to send her brain into a disorganized mess.

"Thank you for that"

"'Thank you'? Who says thank you after a kiss?" Korra teased. Asami rolled her eyes.

"You don't have to be so literal. I meant-" Her reply was cut off by the sound of the front door swinging open and the heavy thud of her father's footsteps. The two looked to each other, panicked.

"Just let me talk" Asami ordered. She shot to her feet and moved to intercept him before he could get a good view of Korra.

"Asami! I'm home!" he set down his briefcase on a table, "We got out early. We were notified that the _Avatar_ had disappeared from where they were keeping her in the South-"

"Hi dad, I'm glad to see you. This is Korra, can she stay with us for a while?" Asami blurted. She hoped to catch him off guard and get a better answer. Korra smiled sheepishly from behind her. Hiroshi looked from one to the other.

"That's- what- No! The Avatar has to go back. I will not be responsible for this!" he bellowed. He glared at Korra. She could tell he hoped she would burst into ashes and absolve him of any liability. 

"Dad, look. She's been staying here this whole week because she doesn't exactly have anywhere else to go-"

"She could go home!"

"-and she's my friend. Please, for a little while" she begged. He scowled, thinking it over. He glanced back and forth between them again. Asami didn't know what he was looking for, but she hoped he would find the right answer.

"Only for the time being. I am sending a letter immediately to the White Lotus and they will come collect her. But until they come, you may stay" she said hesitantly. The girls grinned at each other. Their time might be limited, but they still had some.

That night, the girls lay across from each other in Korra's guestroom bed. Their hands bridged the gap and intertwined between them.

"So that kiss came a weird time, didn't it?" Korra laughed, shifted her free hand to support her head. Asami smiled.

"I still wouldn't have it any other way" Korra fought a smile and crossed the space, kissing her softly.

"Do you honestly think we'll ever see each other again after I go back?" she asked softly. She didn't want to leave, especially now that she had seen part of the world that she never had before. That was what the Avatar  was supposed to do, wasn't it? Be apart of the world? The compound hindered any sort of relationship with that, which was part of the reason for her leaving in the first place. But it wasn't as if Asami wasn't a really good bonus either.

"I think so. It might be a while, but it'll definitely happen"

 

~~~

 

Three years later, Korra was high off her first Pro Bending match victory. While airbending didn't come easy to her, what happened in the ring was a major improvement and she almost couldn't wait to get back to training with Tenzin.

"Seaweed noodles on me!" Bolin shouted, slinging his arms over the shoulders of both Korra and his older brother Mako. Korra pumped her fists with a whoop. She loved seaweed noodles.

"Only if you get the kind that have-"

"You may be the Avatar, but you suck as a probender" a woman's voice interrupted. Anger surged through Korra and she whirled around, ready for a fight. The second she saw who it was, her anger drained as quickly as it had come. Instead, it was replaced with elation.

"Asami!" She launched herself at the older girl, gripping her in a tight hug. The engineer laughed and returned it.

"You really do need to work on your understanding of the rules though" she teased. Korra pulled away, but caught Asami's hand in her own.

"Yeah well, that's never as important as raw power, c'mon" she bantered. Remembering the guys, she faced them again.

"Guys, this is Asami. Asami, this is Mako and Bolin. They're brothers" she said, gesturing to each of them respectively, while still maintaining her hold on Asami's hand.

"Wow, are you Asami _Sato_? Hiroshi Sato's daughter? We have a toaster from you guys, it's ah-mazing" Bolin gushed. Mako merely rolled his eyes at his brother and dragged him in the direction of the restaurant. Asami joined them for food and their conversations.

Mako noticed that Korra spent more time staring at her than eating the noodles she loved so much. He elbowed Bolin's side and pointed to the still full bowl of noddles. He blinked in shock and quickly came to the same confusion. Eventually the brothers went back to their apartment at the arena and Korra and Asami were left alone, walking the streets.

"And then he fell into the mud pit! He was so angry. And all Naga does is try and help him up. That's the only reason he got bit!" Korra laughed as she explained the story. Asami laughed along with her, bathing in the company of her reunited best friend.

"I really have missed you" she intimated, wiping away joyful tears. Korra smiled.

"Me too. The thought of you was the only thing that got me through training some days" She paused on the sidewalk and shot an insecure glance towards her friend.

"I know this might be out of place after so long, so it's okay if you say no, I was just wondering if I could kiss you. I mean, I've really wanted to all night-" She was cut off by a pair of lips. The tension eased out of her shoulders as she responded in kind.

"You need to stop this whole thing where you warn me before you kiss me. Just go for it"

"I'll keep that in mind for next time"


End file.
